Dear Parents and Carers,

It seems like such a long time since the start of this term. So much has changed in the world and in our school. Learning happened at home, then one day a week at school and then full-time at school. There is no swimming or hydrotherapy, no community access or excursions, we have zoom assemblies and meetings and we don’t have visitors in our school unless absolutely essential. Our cleaners work right through the day making sure surfaces are cleaned.

And yet, so much is the same. Your children still love coming to school and teachers still love giving your children great opportunities to grow, learn and develop.

We have learned more about using teaching and learning platforms such as SeeSaw and we know it works for some students and not so well for others. I hope that you have more understanding of the work we do with your children. This term has given us a wonderful opportunity to join together in the education of our students! This week you will receive a modified school report about your child’s learning achievements. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Next term, we will resume working on the individual goals negotiated earlier in the year. Our teachers will be trialling some new assessment tools as part of a research project to find out what works best. We are hoping some health restrictions can be eased and more programs can operate. We will also be asking you to complete the Tell Them From Me survey and join with us in some planning for the next four year School Strategic Improvement plan.

I hope you and your family remain well and enjoy the upcoming school break. School finishes on Friday 3 July and resumes for students on Tuesday 21 July.

Until next time,

Anne Flint.

Dear parents and carers,

Thank you for your patience while we take small steps to returning to a new 'normal' in this chaotic year.

Once restrictions are eased, we will let you know of our plans for later in the year, including possibly a combined Mother's and Father's Day stall.

Stay safe and look after one another.

Until next time,

Liz Brannon

President

Since 2004.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Family holidays at The Entrance on the NSW Central Coast.

What was your favourite subjects at school?

Sport and maths.

If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?

My phone to keep in touch with family; photos; dog Shadow; home; and passport to travel.

What is your favourite book?

I don't have a favourite. I like a range of books and enjoy reading.

If you could invite any three guests to a dinner party, who would they be?

My mum, dad and sister, who unfortunately isn't with us anymore.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

Can't Stop The Feeling! by Justin Timberlake.

What pets did you have growing up?

A dog [Goldie] and cat [Sonia].

What is your favourite day of the year?

Christmas and Boxing Days, spent with all my family.

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Playing records.

How long have you worked at Holroyd School?

Three years.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

You have to love the yearly pilgrimage to Umina Caravan Park!

What was your favourite subject at school?

Lunch time was great! Otherwise, I enjoyed Economics and Maths.

If you could only keep three possessions, what would they be?

My mobile phone, guitar and a block of Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.

What is your favourite book?

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

If you could invite any three guests to a dinner party, who would they be?

American legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry.

What is your favourite song to sing along to?

American Pie by Don McLean.

What pets did you have growing up?

A labrador and cattle dog.

What is your favourite day of the year?

Boxing Day.

What fad or trend do you hope comes back?

Good old fashioned Aussie Larikinism!

During the last few weeks we have started to welcome the first of a dozen new primary school students to Holroyd School.

It has been wonderful to see them making friends and settling into their new environment.

A reminder to parents and carers NOT to send their children to school with hand sanitiser - either on their person or attached to their school bags.

Alcohol-based hand sanitiser is dangerous if swallowed, particularly for children. Even a tiny amount can cause alcohol poisoning.

We have an abundant supply of hand soap and sanitiser in every classroom and common areas at school. It is stored safely and out-of-reach of students.

Hand washing and sanitising is done frequently at school and always under the supervision of school staff.

Teachers are communicating with parents via student communication books and over the phone to develop Individual Learning Plans (ILPs).

Greetings from J2.

This semester we have worked hard on Seesaw activities at home with our families. We used materials from our learning packages to complete daily learning activities, as well as many hands-on activities. We made musical instruments, designed our own games, explored aspects of nature in our gardens and created different artworks.

Thank you to our families. We couldn't have achieved any of this without you. Even so, we are very happy to now be back at school with our classmates in a shared learning experience.

Some of our learning that has spanned both home and school is our Geography unit of work, titled People, Places and Environments. We explored our homes and local community and the people and places that make them special. We also learned about the Darug and other Aboriginal peoples who have lived in this part of Australia for many thousands of years. These studies included mapping the lands of the Darug people, learning about traditional lifestyles and culture that are still relevant today, and creating artworks and music inspired by contemporary and traditional Aboriginal artists. We learned about Aboriginal symbols used in artworks to record culture in the same way that writing is used in other cultures to record stories. We explored the Holroyd School playground to build our understanding of what some of the traditional symbols mean.

We hope you all stay safe and well.

Adam, Ken, Tarek, Fatima, Elias, Nooreddine, Helen, Debbie and Katrina.

The students in J6 have enjoyed many sensory-based activities this year. We melted giant ice cubes filled with fluffy pom-poms, dyed rice in rainbow colours and used natural materials such as leaves to create interesting artwork.

This semester we engaged in remote learning where we practised spelling, counting numbers, sorting shapes and cooking with our family. At school, we listened to funny Premier's Reading Challenge books, created a rainbow Harmony Day artwork and made hearts for Mother's Day.

Each week we participated in a variety of outdoor activities to practise the fundamental movement skills of static balance, sprint run and vertical jump. We balanced on steps, bounced and rolled on exercise balls, jumped on trampolines and played on swings.

Thank you to our wonderful parents and carers for your amazing effort and support during home learning. We hope you stay safe and healthy.

See you next time,

Ahmed, Andrew, Omar, Shiven, Sohaib, Fotema, Thibaut and Cindy.

We really enjoyed going to Central Gardens in Merrylands in term one. We had morning tea and hot chips, saw animals such as possums, emus, wallabies and owls and played soccer and bowling at the park.

What unit of work is the class studying this semester?

The boys love work skills activities such as putting pillows into pillow cases, washing dishes, folding clothes and cleaning windows.

Every second Monday we role play a class restaurant. Two students act as chefs, one as waiter, one as cashier; and the remainder are customers. The boys really enjoy role playing and particularly being the chef. So far, salmon balls is everyone's favourite menu item.

What are the highlights of your weekly timetable?

Everyone loves story and art. After reading a story, we create a related artwork. Our favourite stories are Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Seuss, Stickman by Julia Donaldson and Pugicorn by Matilda Rose.

How does the class spend time outdoors each week?

The boys enjoy buddy class activities.

We play games such as duck duck goose, what's the time Mr Wolf? and egg and spoon races with J17 on Tuesday.

We also enjoy group sports, such as tennis, netball and t-ball, with our friends in classes S22, S24 and S29 on Friday. 

Is there a message you would like to give to your students' parents?

I hope everyone stays healthy and active and hopefully we can enjoy our favourite activities, such as excursions and swimming, again very soon.

Wishing all our staff, students and families a safe and happy winter holiday.

The last day for Term 2 is this Friday 3 July, 2020.

Term 3 begins on Tuesday 21 July, 2020.